News Summary

Published: December 8, 1990

International 3-8

The American Embassy in Kuwait, which had been maintained as a symbol of defiance against the Iraqi annexation of Kuwait, will be closed once all Americans wishing to leave have been allowed to do so. Page 1

The hotel where hostages were held in Baghdad was transformed into an emancipation hall, a scene of poignant relief, tearful reunions and the expectation that a long captivity was coming to an end. 6

Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz of Iraq said the hostages could receive exit visas in a "few days." Western nations asked Iraq to allow charter flights to evacuate hostages. 6

U.S. and Saudi officials are wary of the news. They say President Hussein's decision to release the hostages was a shrewd gambit to weaken the coalition against him. 6

Democrats say Iraq's move doesn't change debate 7

Iraqi Army deserters in Turkey, who fled after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, said they left behind troops demoralized by meager food rations and terrorized by threats of hanging. 8

The U.S. would welcome NATO help in transporting American forces to the Persian Gulf, but Defense Secretary Cheney said NATO defense ministers made no promises. 7

Daniel Ortega initiates effort to seek peace in the gulf 6

Saudi women are gently rebelling against the male-dominated Islamic society. But those willing to ridicule social precepts are not finding the going easy. 8

A meeting of the Security Council was delayed by the U.S., which said it wants more time to prepare a resolution on an international conference to settle the Palestinian question. 8

U.S. is said to aid Libyans in Chad who oppose Qaddafi 1

The trade talks ended in disarray after marathon negotiations throughout the week. The United States and the European Community remained deadlocked over the issue of reducing subsidies to farmers. 1

A single European defense policy should be adopted by the European Community, France and Germany proposed, saying the group needed to take a more independent role. 3

Japan's blockbuster leap into space has been a flop. A television station paid the Soviet Union $12 million to launch a journalist, but when he began describing the uglier details of the trip, viewers switched off. 1

The U.S. will rush aid to El Salvador in a move intended to blunt a guerrilla offensive backed by surface-to-air missiles. The Administration announced that it would send $48.1 million in military aid. 3

Buenos Aires Journal: The payoff of Bush's visit 4 National 9-14, 26

The unemployment rate climbed two-tenths of a point to 5.9 percent, the highest since October 1987. The Government said the economy lost more than a quarter of a million jobs in November. 1

Unemployed Americans are worried about an uncertain future. Their hunt for work has taken on new urgency as they have watched the economy worsen and opportunites dry up. 1

Interest rates fall after Federal Reserve eases credit 33

Facing slumping sales, Sears begins after-Christmas sale now 33

A cancer specialist who died of AIDS never told his patients that he was infected. The case has fueled the debate over how doctors' right to privacy should be balanced against patients' right to know. 1

The Government taped phone calls made by Manuel Noriega from his cell, including many to his lawyers, prosectuors said, but claimed they had not violated his right to speak privately with his lawyer. 9

The Philadelphia Inquirer loses a libel case 14

Arizona Governor testifies on behalf of Senator DeConcini 14

Dallas votes today on council rights plan 26 The first class taught from space was beamed by astronauts aboard the shuttle Columbia to students in Alabama and Maryland, who questioned the astronauts about their troubled mission. 9

Court overturns the release of a tape of Challenger crew 9

Makers of adult diaper will stop making assertion in ads 10

Milk with experimental hormone is safe for humans, panel finds 14

A convoluted surrogacy case ended this week when an Ohio woman was sentenced to 11 years in prison for killing her former husband shortly after he won custody of a 5-year-old girl born to a surrogate mother. 9

A Jamaican drug-trafficking ring that ran crack houses in Brooklyn and Dallas and has been linked to 10 murders was broken up, the police said. Seventeen people were arrested, but the reputed leader got away. 1

Panel will examine violence in The Daily News strike 28

News analysis: The verdicts in the Bensonhurst case, in which the prosecution has won only one murder conviction, have led to charges that prosecutors were incompetent. 29

New York City's Schools Chancellor, Joseph Fernandez, has proposed that some of the schools the city plans to begin building be operated by businesses, universities, foundations or even groups of teachers. 27

The Harlem Hospital Center's chief has resigned under pressure, seven months after he was brought in to help rescue the troubled hospital, city officials said. 27

The Board of Examiners' successor may be as cumbersome as the 92-year-old licensing agency it is replacing, education monitors say. But officials say the new system will improve teacher recruiting. 29

The Talk of Albany: State workers face mandatory furloughs or deferred pay, and as the holiday season approaches, the mood in the capital is not festive. 27

To criticize Governor Florio, call (900) 321-0001 28

New Jersey prosecutors say principal fondled students 28

Are New Yorkers toy-buying elitists? The recent invasion by two -- gasp! -- discount toy stores has alarmed a few of the devoted shoppers of F. A. O. Schwarz and the like. 27